Grabbing shoes, helping charity

I grabbed $600 worth of Crocs shoes and didn't pay for them.

Posted 3:02 p.m. Jun 13, 2016 — Updated 6:58 p.m. Jul 13, 2018

DURHAM, N.C. — I grabbed more than $600 worth of Crocs shoes and didn't pay for them. In fact, I ran around the Streets at Southpoint location like a crazy person. I wasn't wearing shoes. I was a sweaty disaster. I even threw some of the shoes at the cash register.

Surprisingly, no one threw me out of the store. In fact, the managers were thrilled.

It was all part of North Carolina's first Crocs Shoe Grab for Charity. I was invited to hit the mall and grab as many shoes as I could in 45 seconds. The monetary value would be donated to a nonprofit of my choice. I selected the Frankie Lemmon School, which helps developmentally disabled children ages 3 to 6 years old.

This was like a dream come true. I got to shop for shoes and help others.

It seemed like an easy mission - just grab as many shoes as possible. Then, representatives told me that I could only take one pair at a time to the cash register. So, like the most seasoned veterans on "Supermarket Sweep" who piled their carts full of expensive meat, I focused on the most expensive shoe in the store - the men's Crocs Kinsale Slip-on retail priced at $74.99.

I kicked off my Crocs - yes, I wore Crocs to the Crocs shoot at the Crocs store. And no, I'm not being paid to say Crocs. I actually love Crocs. I have two pairs of really stylish sandals that no one believes are actually Crocs. They make more than the original style.

When the clock started, I dashed through the store - putting all of my focus on the Kinsale Slip-ons. I got a lot of those and then, for some reason, I felt like I had to have variety. So, I threw in a pair of Crocs wedge sandals and another random pair of men's shoes that had laces. (Who knew Crocs made shoes with laces?)

When the manager totaled up the shoes, turns out I had done pretty well. With tax, the shoes were worth $633. We were able to present a check to the folks from Frankie Lemmon on the spot. That amount will cover the school's field trips for a year or even cover the cost of some new technology for students.

It was a great experience and I got to fulfill my dream of running through a store and grabbing stuff that I didn't have to pay for. Watch the video with this story to see exactly how crazy it got in there.